ENDO ALL STARS

The endoscopy department at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor, Mich., has had an eventful year — increasing volumes (approximately 1,000 cases per month) while simultaneously moving into a new building.

The endoscopy department, along with the hospital’s radiology department and family birth center, moved into the hospital’s new imaging center. The new center has seven rooms, including two specialty rooms for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and bronchoscopy procedures.

St. Joseph Mercy Hospital is on the cutting edge of therapeutic endoscopy, performing endoscopic ultrasound pancreatic pseudocyst drainage, EUS-guided nerve blocks for pain control, and endoscopic mucosal resections of early gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. The department has three physicians who have completed four years of advanced endoscopy fellowships.

However, amid the excitement, the department has not forgotten those less fortunate. “We have been personally touched by the tsunami disaster in Sri Lanka, “ says Gabrielle Dodge, manager of the endoscopy department. “One of our physicians, Naresh Gunaratnam, MD, is a longtime supporter of the Grace Care Center, an orphanage in Sri Lanka that was recently badly damaged by the tsunami. To support Dr. Gunaratnam, the endoscopy staff began a baking frenzy. We peddled our baked goods throughout the hospital and raised $1,968 in just a few hours for the Grace Care Center.

Dr. Gunaratnam spent time in Sri Lanka with a group of 13 medical volunteers, including two of our endoscopy nurses.”

Front Row: Gary Witherspoon, technologist; Carla Ellis, RN, Renee Anders, RN; Denise Bennett, RN; Gail Dodge, RN; Linda Lombardo, clerk; Laurie Martin, RN; Vicky Cole, clerk; Karen Stoychoff, RN; Curtis Donald, technologist;
Second Row: Liz Laforge, RN; Barb Wyatt, RN; Patti Pietrowski, scope cleaner; Jill Burton, RN; Lori Fosmire, RN; Marsha Motzkus, RN; Rhonda Scott, technologist; Erica Cox, scope cleaner; Richard Steele, technologist.

Just as there are many theme parks to visit in Orlando, Fla., there are also numerous places to get an endoscopy procedure performed. Why does Orlando Regional’s South Seminole Hospital endoscopy unit stand out? “We stand out because we opened our new dedicated unit this past August after over three years of planning and waiting,” says Robin Harbuck, RN, staff pool, endo.

“The staff of 12 is proud of our new facility. We are the first in Florida to install the Berchtold® TELETOM power boom/articulating arms in our procedure rooms. It frees up floor space and saves unnecessary movement of the patient on double procedures. We are equipped with 11 computer monitors that will be expanded to additional computer screens at each bedside.”

Patients enter a bright waiting room, then move to a private history room and finally are greeted in the spa-like admitting area with a warm blanket and soothing music. The patients rest in private recovery bays, which are furnished with La-Z-Boy recliners.

“Student nurses from the local community colleges rotate through our unit. In the past year, we have had a zero turnover rate. Our unit also treats the critically ill inpatient population at our hospital. The nurses on our unit have a total of 235 years of patient experience. We also chose our new uniform colors so the patients can tell who their nurses are, as well as our tech and unit secretary,” Harbuck says.

Front: Krista Prado, RN; Robin Harbuck, RN;
Second Row: Ann Kiss, RN; Molly LaMorte, LPN III.;
Third Row: Sherry Golden, RN; Shelli Michaels, RN; Babs Pearce, technologist; Hope McCree, RN;
Fourth Row: Rosetta Newland, secretary; Ellen Leukenbach, nurse manager; Lisa Hogan, RN, asst. nurse manager.
Not Pictured: Judy Neri, RN, and Carlos Gomez.

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